Golf Course Architecture - Green Pages 2021

13 Photo: Michel Niedbala – as well as teams – are compartmentalised. Within this framework, the initial investment is higher, but this additional investment is quickly recouped in the operational and maintenance phases thanks to substantially enhanced working conditions, which result in lower costs and greater efficiency in terms of how the facility is run. And all of this is based merely on the short-term amortisation of this additional cost. Life-cycle costing is the way of the future. It encompasses financing, design, construction, as well as operation and maintenance. This more virtuous approach leads to substantial savings in the medium and long term. The feasibility study should focus on developing the case for a comprehensive approach, including construction, operating and maintenance costs. At this stage, it is important to ascertain the expectations of future users. One way of doing this is to create a steering committee on which users are represented: the operator and the maintenance department, the teachers, the restaurant owner, the sports club, and so on. The selected aims should be included as part of the project’s mission statement. Obviously, this process of dialogue cannot stop at this stage; to be effective, it needs to be pursued throughout the entire project. Here is a suggestion for how this virtuous approach might be structured: • The project owner appoints a project manager to ensure that the various phases of the development run smoothly according to a precise and documented operations schedule. • Project management is provided by an operational steering committee, which is an integral part of the project’s organisational structure and acts as a permanent liaison. • Drafting of performance sheets with various levels of targets and checks. • External communication based on the publication and periodic distribution of a newsletter for local residents, and potentially for a broader community, depending on the project’s scope. This newsletter will deal with the integration of the project in terms of local heritage, the low-impact aspect of the work site, environmental benefits, and the advantages and benefits for the community. This list is not exhaustive and, depending on the context, should be amended to meet the primary objective of ensuring that a negative view of the project does not set in. For more on Golf Optimum, turn to page 40 o r visit www.golfoptimum.com